News and Media

WASHINGTON, DC — Last night, Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led a letter joined by 121 Members of Congress urging House Democratic leadership to reject any changes to the pilot retirement age in a final version of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. As it stands […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, released the following statement in response to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of a final rule outlining changes to Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans to better protect frontline transit workers: “For years, transit workers and unions […]

Reported by Mark Gruenberg for People’s World. The nation’s rail unions and the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department are hailing the Biden administration’s final rule mandating two-person crews on all but a few of the nation’s freight trains. About the only union-side objections to the Federal Railroad Administration’s rule, published April 2, were that it shouldn’t […]

Reported by David Lassen for Trains. The Federal Railroad Administration today issued its new final rule generally requiring two-person crews on trains, which it says “enhances safety” and industry group the Association of American Railroads immediately blasted as “unfounded and unnecessary.” The 223-page final rule requires two-person crews except for certain operations “that do not pose […]

Reported by Progressive Railroading. The Federal Railroad Administration has issued its final rule on train crew safety requirements, which generally mandates a second crew member on Class I freight and passenger trains, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced today. The minimum crew-size rule is long overdue, Buttigieg said in a press release. “Common sense tells us that […]

Reported by David Shepardson for Reuters. The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) said Tuesday it will require major railroads to have at least two crew members for most trips. The final rule creates a special approval process for railroads seeking to initiate new one-person train crew operations and requires trains carrying some hazardous […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, released the following statement in response to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of a final rule establishing a minimum requirement of two-person crews for most Class I freight and passenger railroad operations: “For years, rail […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) issued the following statement after his appointment to the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC) by the Surface Transportation Board:  “It is my honor to serve on the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee and represent the interests of rail labor before the Surface Transportation Board […]

Reported by Carolina Worrell for Railway Age.

President Joe Biden on March 14 announced his intention to nominate Jennifer Lynn Homendy for Chair and Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The nomination is for a second five-year term as a Member expiring Dec. 31, 2029. Her first term expires Dec. 31. 2024. Her separate Chair nomination is for a three-year term.

Homendy is the 15th Chair of NTSB, an independent agency (from Executive Branch) now at full five-member strength with members serving five-year terms. She is the fourth woman to serve as Chair since the agency was created in 1967. As Chair, she is the agency’s Chief Executive, managing an annual budget of $140 million and more than 440 full-time employees across the country. She has also served as NTSB’s 44th Board Member since 2018.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Angus King, I-Maine, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced legislation to standardize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance Process which is used by transportation workers nationwide. The applicants often have to apply for more than one security clearance program using the same background check paperwork and […]